


Shamrock

by Tsuki7893



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Don't Judge Me, F/F, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I Wrote This For Me, I'm Bad At Tagging, Multi, Other, POV First Person, Secret Organizations, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 21:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20071201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsuki7893/pseuds/Tsuki7893
Summary: Shamrock was founded sometime near the beginning of the second millennium. The original members are unknown; identities kept completely in the dark and passed from one commander to the next. It was founded with the purpose to protect the growing human population from the evils of the world. The existence of supernatural beings was discovered. Catastrophe struck during the organization’s infancy and betrayal corrupted the ranks. Many lives were lost in a bloody war between the loyalists and traitors. Much of the history was also lost. The opposing faction was born, dubbed Bane by Shamrock loyals. They seek to use inhuman abilities to bring about the demise of the human populace. Bane labelled humanity’s corruption of the Earth a crime against the order of the universe. Shamrock and Bane have been at war in the shadows since that event. Shamrock began recruiting supers to their cause. They created an Elite Force that was made of the best supers they could get to join. This force combats the actions of Bane that are too difficult for human military forces to accomplish.Zoe just wanted to live a normal life. Then her world is turned upside-down when she and her brother are "approached" by Shamrock recruiters.





	Shamrock

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a story I concocted in my free time. It's loosely inspired by the secret organizations in Hellboy and X-Men, and the supernatural elements of mythos. All of the characters are based on people in my life and many were created by said people. They are not meant to copy any fictional or nonfictional people or characters. Some of the characters have accents that I tried to portray through text and I apologize in advance if I butchered it. There's drama, angst, romance, and action, but I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with it or how it will end. If you would like to read and enjoy, feel free. If you don't like it, don't read it. I wrote this for me and my friends. Kudos and Comments are welcome. :)

Deep in the South of Louisiana, New Orleans was honoring the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The city, known for its rich melting pot culture and diverse history, still held scars that brought on solemn prayer once a year. Abandoned and gutted homes littered neighborhoods that couldn’t rebuild. These houses were dark, even in the middle of the afternoon. Decrepit floors and rotting walls would fall just because an extra dust particle happened to make a home on the wood. I could hear it creaking under my weight. The smell of mold and mildew assaulted my nostrils. My head felt heavy and my mind foggy. My eyes didn’t want to open; it was as if they were made of lead. A dull ache in my lower back made its presence known, but my limbs refused to move so I could provide no relief. The pain slowly crept up my spine. I tried tensing the muscles in my back, but it didn’t help.

“Come on, man. It’s just a little girl. What’s she going to do?” A rough voice sounded out in the empty house, echoing around me. I finally opened my eyes, blinking as my hair fell into them. I shook my head to the side, glancing around. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dim surroundings. I was strapped to a metal chair, hands behind me and cuffed. The room was cluttered and the door was hanging off its hinges. Movement in a different room caught my attention.

“Exactly. Why does Guardian ‘ave us goin’ after some lass? It don’t make any sense. Feel like this is a set-up.” Another voice reached my ears. This one was a bit deeper with a very, very thick Irish accent. There was a sigh from one of the disembodied voices, followed by some shuffling. “There’s no paperwork on ‘er. Are ya sure she’s the right one?”

“Yes. She was very specific. I don’t know why there is no file.” The first voice sounded a little more disappointed this time. Another frustrated sigh and someone kicked a heavy piece of furniture. There was more shuffling and the house went quiet. I tried to listen for more of the conversation, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat and the cicadas outside. I struggled against the cuffs, heat spreading through my wrists. _They may be silver... Would they know to use silver..?_ A low, frustrated growl escaped my throat when the metal refused to bend or break. I huffed and rested my head on the back of the chair. _Would Rusty hear me from here?_

My twin brother and I have a mental connection. We can feel each other and communicate telepathically when we are close enough. I reached out for him, but the familiar warmth of his mind was nowhere to be found. I huffed again, wondering how I would get out of this situation. The last thing I remembered was leaving a gas station, taking a drink from a Dr. Pepper, and getting in my car. I couldn’t even remember starting the engine. The realization hit me like a brick. _They knew I would get the drink… So who was there? _Unfortunately, I could not conjure any faces that seemed out of place.

My thoughts were interrupted by a tall man with a curly mohawk and a tribal tattoo running down the left side of his face. I recognized him instantly. He had held the door open for me when I walked in. He turned back to the other room. “Oi, she’s up.”

“Should we dose her again?” Another tall man entered the room, looking at the first. He was just slightly shorter and sported an afro that was faded on the sides. He was probably a local of New Orleans. I stared up at them with what I hoped was a death glare. Mohawk guy shook his head and walked closer to me. I tried to move my feet, testing my kicking range. Much to my dismay, they had also tied up my ankles. _Do they know what I am?_ If they knew, it would explain all the metal; that meant I couldn’t transform to get out. _Fuck._

“Nah. Looks like she’s still out of it fer the mos’ part.” He crouched down to make eye contact with me. His eyes were a unique combination of blue, green, and grey which made them look hazel from a distance. Now that he was closer, they looked more like swirls of shimmering paint with flecks of yellow scattered throughout his irises. I blinked, breaking eye contact and looking at the floor. _What kind of fucking spell...?_ I didn’t dare to look in his eyes again, so I glanced at the rest of him to try and gauge who they were. He wore an all black outfit of cargo pants and a form fitted T-shirt with combat boots to match. He had two daggers, though they could pass for short swords, strapped to his belt and a small black band on his left wrist. My guess was either a smart watch or some kind of weird fashion trend. The other man was dressed in a similar fashion. I cast my gaze to him as he slowly approached us. He had a small rifle strapped to his back and a large, oddly shaped sword attached to his hip. He sported tribal style flame tattoos on each wrist that spanned his forearms. They almost seemed to have an aura about them. His eyes held a sort of innocence to them and looked like melted chocolate; only a few shades lighter than his skin. He glanced to mohawk guy.

“She looks angry.” He directed his attention to me. “Are you awake enough to understand us?”

“Yes,” my throat felt like sandpaper as I tried to speak. I swallowed a few times, hoping my saliva would provide some kind of relief. “What do you want with me?”

“Well, we’re here to recruit you.” He offered me a small smile with a shrug. Mohawk guy had been looking at him. He turned his gaze to me and grinned widely.

“This is a hell of a way to recruit someone.” I shook my hands, rattling the cuffs. “What am I being recruited for exactly?”

“Special forces lass.” Mohawk guy stood and rested his hands on his hips. “Since we’re gonna be workin’ together, m’name’s Ansgar. This here’s Marcus.”

“Zoe.” I hesitated for a moment, glancing between them. The burning sensation in my wrists was steadily getting worse as the drugs wore off and I pulled against the cuffs. The question sat heavy on my tongue, wondering what I would have to trade to be rid of the restraints. “Can y’all let me out of these? They hurt. I won’t run or anything.”

They both gave me a hard look before glancing between themselves. Marcus sighed and rubbed his temples. “Look, we need your brother too. So if we let you go, you have to agree to bring us to him so we can bring you both back home. If not… well I’ll have to sedate you again.”

My heart sank. Of course they knew about my brother. We were twins, so whoever was looking for me would no doubt look for him. But I had hoped to either escape or spare him from whatever twisted fate I was about to end up living. I sighed and hung my head. The only way for me to get free was to bring them to Rusty. “I guess I don’t really have a choice.”

“Right. Le’s get these off ya then.” Ansgar moved behind me and after a moment, I was able to pull my hands in front of me and rub my wrists. The pressure around my legs vanished and I stood. They both fell into defensive positions, hands resting gingerly on the hilts of their weapons. I raised my hands.

“Relax.” I glanced around, cautiously making my way to the door and out of the house. They were right on my heels. _There’s no way I’m losing them. _I lifted my head and sniffed the air. Now that we were out of the musty house, I could breathe easier. Rusty’s scent was easy to recognize; he wasn’t as far away as I had thought. I glanced back at them. “This way. We drivin’ or walkin’?”

“We can drive. We brought you here in your car.” Marcus shrugged, nodding to my car at the end of the block. I was simultaneously relieved to see it and alarmed that they had been inside it. What if they had rigged it with something and it would detonate if I tried to run?? _Too many action and suspense movies Zoe…_ I opted for sarcastic indignation. No one said I had to be happy about toting around my kidnappers.

“Of course you did.” I muttered under my breath. They both tensed and exchanged a glance.

“Well, we didn’t come in a vehicle and we thought you might want yours.” Marcus spoke with caution, and what seemed like a hint of offense. Like a child who was told they could have done better. I glanced at him curiously and he ignored me to dig around for my keys in his pocket. He slid into the driver’s seat and Ansgar got in the back. I took the front passenger seat and pointed Marcus in the direction of my house. It was closer than I had originally thought once I saw the street signs. I wondered if I should try to contact Rusty, maybe send them in circles until he could come back me up. I could probably take at least one of them on my own, but not both. And they were obviously military trained, which was more his stride than mine. I reached out tentatively with my conscious. I was at the very edge of his when it vanished. It was like a sudden wall had come up between us and dread filled my gut as I realized one of these men may be telepathic. I had no way of warning my brother, which meant we would have to rely on quick thinking and instinct in the moment. Since Rusty generally worked nights, I knew he’d be home at this point. I wondered if he knew that I had been cut off from him; had he sensed me before the wall came up?

The rest of the ride was silent, save for my telling Marcus to turn a few times. My dread only grew as we turned on my street. After a small eternity, my home came into view. It was a quaint little shotgun home, with a driveway just big enough to park my little hatchback and Rusty’s motorbike. The house’s faded blue-gray paint was chipped and worn away on most of the siding. Our porch was covered in various plants with bowls of water and food for the local stray population hidden in nooks between the leaves. Rusty’s bike was parked and covered in the drive, which meant he was home. _Possibly passed out in bed, but at least he’s here…_ I felt a miniscule bit of dread melt away. Marcus pulled in and cut off the car engine. I was already out and striding to the front door by the time they had gotten out of the car. I turned and made a wide gesture. “Welcome to my humble abode.”

We approached the door and I tried the handle. At least Rusty had the sense to lock the door this time. I held my hand out for my keys, which Marcus hesitantly dropped into my palm. As I shoved the key in the lock, I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye. “Try not to make any sudden moves. My brother has a hair trigger.”

The men exchanged a glance before nodding. I bit back a smile. _No reason for them to know he’s really the laziest man on Earth_, I reflected. Until I knew what was really happening, I needed them to be afraid. I turned the lock and opened the door, calling out as we crossed the threshold. “Rusty, I’m home! We have company!”

I could hear shuffling and movement from his room at the end of the hall. After a moment, his door opened and he stepped out, making eye contact with me before looking at the men behind me. I could feel them tense slightly under his scrutiny. At 6’3” he was already intimidating, but he still maintained his military physique. So I could see why some people were scared of the tall, quiet, 220lbs of muscle. His short brown hair was wild from sleep and he yawned lazily, thus reminding me that he was still my silly, lazy brother. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and approached us. He stopped within a few feet of us and gave me a questioning glance. “So… uh… what’s going on Zoe?”

“Let’s go sit. I know you’re probably hungry. We can talk in the kitchen. Come on y’all.” I glanced over my shoulder as I turned to walk into the kitchen. Rusty shrugged and turned on the balls of his feet, right on my heels. I gestured for the men to sit at the barstools at the counter. They silently exchanged glances while Rusty turned to the fridge and pulled out some leftover pizza. He started shoveling the food into his mouth and leaned against the counter opposite Ansgar and Marcus. Rusty spoke through a mouthful of cheese and crust. “Y’all want somethin’ to drink? We got cokes and water.”

“No, thanks. We’d rather go ahead and get this over with. We’re expected back soon.” Marcus spoke up, keeping his voice level and his hands on the counter top. I nodded and hopped up on the counter a little ways from Rusty. Marcus cleared his throat and turned his attention to my brother, who was mid-chomp on a slice of pizza, effectively shattering the hardcore image I had tried to create. Marcus continued, unphased. “We are here to recruit both of you.”

“Like military? Nah. Been there and I ain’t ‘bout goin’ back.” My brother looked up and spoke through another mouthful of pizza. His accent, slightly thicker than mine, only served to make his words less intelligible. I had to quash down the embarrassment that popped up amid the rest of my torrential emotions. Marcus simply shook his head.

“No, not military. Something a little more high-risk. An organization called Shamrock. We…” he glanced at Ansgar. The Irishman shrugged and nodded. Marcus continued. “We keep the public safe from various threats that the military can’t handle. Ansgar and I were sent to bring in you two as new members of our team.”

Rusty cast his gaze over to me, slight confusion in his eyes. I could tell he was wondering why he couldn’t feel our connection when we were so close. Pushing back my judgment that it took him so long, I hoped my eyes could translate the thoughts that I couldn’t show him. I wanted to relax, I wanted him to relax, but truthfully, we had no idea what these guys could do outside of the mental block. What would they do if we said no? Rusty’s voice brought me out of my thoughts, saying what I had just been thinking. “What if we refuse? What even is this? How can we trust y’all? Jus’ showin’ up outta the blue in our home.”

_What would he do if he knew they drugged me?_ I wondered if I should bring that up. There was no response though. Just silence. It was very unnerving. Ansgar was the one to finally break it, eyes narrowed at Rusty. “What are you?”

We both turned to him, followed by a sharp glare from Marcus. Ansgar glared back defensively. “What? I want to know. Guardian dinna tell us shite. It smells like wet dog in ‘ere but I ain’t seen a dog, ‘ave ye? What are ye?”

The last question was directed at us and I had no clue what to tell him. I figured they would have known since they used silver restraints. _Could it be they were just covering all possibilities? Did they just get lucky?_ Before I could form any coherent replies, Rusty spoke. “Show ya mine if ya show me yours.”

After a long, tense moment, Ansgar stood and backed away from the counter. Suddenly his skin turned black, the tattoo on his face turning pink in contrast, and his curly mohawk became a row of spikes like you’d find on an iguana. His face was slightly stretched into a short beak-like snout and curved horns grew from his temples and extended back. As I continued to stare, I noticed that his skin didn’t just change color, it was now coated in shiny black scales. A thick tail flopped to the ground behind him with a hefty thunk and he flexed talon-like fingers before crossing his arms over his chest. Two wings curved around his shoulders, joining on his collarbones to create an impromptu cloak. Both of us just stared in astonishment while Marcus almost appeared bored.

I glanced at Rusty, meeting his gaze and giving a tiny nod. He nodded back and stood straighter, rolling his neck to the side to crack it. Black fur sprouted and covered his entire body. His sweatpants—thank the gods for elastic—slid down only slightly to make room for a large fluffy black tail to grow. It waved casually behind him as his legs contorted to a more canine shape and big black paws occupied the space where his feet had been poking out under the hem of his pants. He got taller and his muscles filled out more, his hands gaining pads and claws. His face elongated into a sleek wolf snout and his reddish brown hair gave way to a thick black mane, out of which popped two furry ears. He looked like he walked straight out of a movie, sweatpants aside, and his piercing forest green eyes remained fixed on the man across from him. If ever I was proud of something above all else, it was this, our Crinos form; a perfect combination of elegant and powerful, blend of man and wolf. I looked from the wolfish smirk on Rusty’s snout to the men of Shamrock. Marcus stared with wide eyes while Ansgar simply raised a spiky brow.

“Damn…” Marcus shook his head and stood. “I wondered why Guardian picked you. Lycanthropes are useful.”

“We should get goin’ since they’re expectin’ us back within the hour.” Ansgar looked at his watch as he turned back into a normal human. Rusty followed suit and clapped his hands together.

“Guess I should go put more clothes on then.” He spun excitedly and left for the hallway. I slid off the counter and followed him, shutting ourselves in his room and away from potential eavesdroppers. I turned to him as he was pulling on socks before shoving his feet into dark combat boots.

“Are you kidding me? Those guys… Rusty we can’t just go with them.” My voice was a harsh whisper. He looked up at me from tying up his laces and I could see the question in his eyes. _Why not?_ “Dude, they drugged me and kidnapped me! I woke up virtually wrapped in silver and they just asked me to bring them to you like it was another day in the park. And now you want to just go with them on to gods know where?”

He paused in his sniff search for a clean shirt to look at me with a dark expression. “They drugged you?”

I nodded, hoping he would see how crazy he was being and that we needed to get them out of our house and our lives immediately. However, his expression became more neutral after a moment. “Maybe they felt they had to do that. I mean, would ya have just gone with'em if they'd approached ya an' said ‘hey we belong to a secret military, please join an' bring yer brother’. I don’t think so. Besides,” he pulled a plain black shirt over his head, his eager grin returning, “He’s a fuckin’ dragon. A dragon! An' ya aren’t hurt, right?”

I knew my cheeks flushed red with anger, but I couldn’t argue that point. I opted instead to pinch the bridge of my nose. He had that tone.There was no arguing with him now. My brother was an adrenaline junkie and now he had his eyes on his next fix. I sighed loudly, hands dropping to my hips and growled at him. “If we die Rusty, I will haunt you through the afterlife.”

“Easy now, cher. We’ll be fine.” He offered me a goofy grin and pulled me into his arms, squeezing the breath and anger out of me. “E’ryone knows not to mess with the big bad wolf.”

“Come on, ya big oaf.” I pushed him off and we made our way back to the front of the house. Marcus and Ansgar were waiting by the front door. I fought to keep the panic in my chest from rising. Marcus turned to us. “We need to go to the airport.”

“The airport? Y’all got a private jet or somethin’?” Rusty questioned. Ansgar smirked.

“Somethin’ like that. But that’s not why we’re goin’.” As we gathered around the entryway, I could see that Rusty was taller than both men by at least a few inches. At a whopping 5’4” in height, I barely came up to Rusty’s shoulders, which meant I had to look up to all of them to make eye contact. _Great,_ I thought, _more giraffes to make fun of my height_. After making sure the house and Rusty’s bike were secure, we set out for the Louis Armstrong airport. I settled in the driver’s seat, happy to be in control for the time being. Rusty took the passenger seat beside me and the Shamrock members sat in the back. About halfway through the journey, Rusty sat up straight, his hair brushing the roof of my car, and turned to the backseat. “Which one of you is the telepath?”

“That’d be me, cara.” Ansgar chuckled behind me. “I can speak to most beasts through the mind. I felt the lass reachin’ out an' thought I’d stop it for now.”

Suddenly, the wall in my head dissipated and Rusty’s familiar warmth flooded my conscience. It was like being placed near a bonfire after spending a night in the snow. Simultaneously we both let out heavy breaths. “Sœur. Shit, don’t do that again.” Rusty’s voice was winded and possibly a little shaky. I didn’t dare speak because I knew it would give away how much his absence had affected me. “That was awful.”

“Sorry.” Ansgar’s eyes held a perplexed gaze as he looked between us. “Would thatta kill’d ya?”

“No,” I cleared my throat. “But we are twins and we’ve had this link since birth. Everything just felt… so cold.”

“Well, he won’t be doing it again, right?” Marcus turned to give a pointed look to Ansgar. The dragon held up his hands in surrender. It wasn’t much longer after that conversation; we finally came up to the airport. It had grown late in the afternoon and traffic was not too terrible. Marcus directed me to an abandoned landing strip behind a restricted area sign.

“Is this where y’all murder us? Because I don’t intend to go quietly.” I laughed out a breath. Marcus shook his head and looked out the window. I had meant it as a joke, trying to console myself, but the silence was a little unnerving.

“Stop here.” I braked and cut the car off. We got out and followed him to a slightly faded area of the strip. The air took on an almost static feel. I could smell faint engine oil and the stagnant water of nearby ditches. The sun cast an orange glow on the New Orleans skyline. I could almost laugh at the surreal ridiculousness of the situation we were now in. A beautiful sunset on the anniversary of one of the most tragic events in the city's history, and we were with two super-powered strangers at an abandoned strip of tarmac about to embark on a mysterious journey with some kind of secret military. I cast one last glance at the car before turning to see Marcus muttering some words and concentrating on the ground. The flame tattoos on his arms started to glow a faint green and symbols lit up along the pavement in a circle around us. I looked up at Rusty; his eyes mirrored the excitement and hesitation I knew swirled in mine. The hair on my neck stood on end and the air crackled in my ears. Before either of us could question anything, the ground vanished and we dropped.


End file.
